All hail the Emperor!
by Dinadette
Summary: The Supreme Leader is dead (or is he?). The Emperor rules. And he notices a handsome petty officer, Cal Kestis... (yes, the timeline is all wrong but this will not stop the Huxtis).


**Cal**

The Supreme Leader had died a traitor's death, some had said. Others claimed it was all an act, and he was hiding in the Outer Rim, until the moment would be right and he would strike to crush his -their- enemies. The then General Hux, now Emperor, had survived an attempt from a random puppet. Again, some claimed the puppet was dead, others that he was detained and tortured and really, really wished he was dead. No one would ask the Emperor, because when the name was brought up, his eyes burned like Starkiller.

Cal Kestis had always served the Empire faithfully. His gift with the force made him close to invaluable now that most force users were dead or hiding, and that they had lost the Supreme Leader to an event the Emperor still didn't explain to himself or to his people.

"The Supreme Leader is not dead," Hux said, finally. His voice was low and slow, bearing no emotion, as if rehearsed to sound exactly such. But Kestis could perceive some warmed current in the force, as when the truth is being spoken. Certainly he detected no lie. If it was not so, the Emperor believed him alive. "Would you..." Kestis perked up, searching the Emperor's eyes in a way that would have been brazen if not for the strange intimacy growing. The Emperor extracted something from his pocket. For a moment Cal feared it might be a weapon. Perhaps the leader was fed up with him, perhaps... But.

No. It was a small holo-picture. It moved. And Cal recognized the Supreme Leader from his garb. "His face" he mumbled without thinking, his control slipping, something extremely rare for him. He had his whole training to help, but it did not. He was seeing the Supreme Leader's face. Hux had actually shown him...

"Yes, I know," Hux said in a voice he had to describe as almost sighing and dreamy... Hux's hand grabbed his, too strong, though Kestis was stronger than the slim, intellectual man. His skin blushed, and bruised. He would have something to show from this later. The idea unsettled him. He squirmed, only then feeling his body reacting, traitorous. "It is alright," the Emperor cooed, talking about watching the Supreme Leader's face, or being touched, or getting hard. Or getting hard while the Emperor was standing so close he could feel warm breath - shouldn't the man be ice? - against his blushing face.

"Your Majesty," he whispered, ill at ease, and gasped when the Emperor brought his hand to his royal mouth.

**Armitage**

It was obvious Ren wasn't dead, even though it seemed everyone believed him. Wouldn't he have needed to collapse to make it realistic? But no. People had no idea. They never did, because they could not suspect either Hux or Ren - Kylo, Ben, whoever - to do feelings. Or even sex. So the man had disappeared, state funerals had been given to an empty golden casket, led by a cold, pale new Emperor. His first gesture. It suited him, at least in the way people perceived him. But the Emperor wasn't always cold, and he mourned Kylo's absence even though he rejoiced over his survival. He also noticed that some officers were seeking to comfort him, or to do the closest the Order would have as such. Some were plainly friendlier, though intimidated.

Others.

Others almost openly watched his form in the perfect white pristine uniform. He cut an impressive figure, he knew, and young men clang to that. But there was more. There was this petty officer Kestis, always staring when he thought the monarch was too busy to notice. Above caring. Cal, his name was, looked like a son would have looked. But the ex general was quite certain he had no natural son. Unless maybe the force could do this. He chuckled at the idea, in the dark. Cal was hopefully not a creation of the force during one of his liaisons. Had he been a son, he would have had to send him away.

He would also have called him back, eventually, because temptation was too strong to kiss this pale skin, this pale face, this younger twin of his.

If his story with Kylo had leaked, it was but to a very few, and Cal would have been much too low on the chain of command to hear anything of it. Yet he let him kiss his hand, and he didn't cringe.

"They say freedom starts with serving two masters," Hux finally said. "The Supreme Leader is alive. Do you understand what it means?" Then only, Kestis shivered. Hux enjoyed his fear for a moment, basking in the flattery. "I do not plan to have you sent away. Cal." The boy - he saw him as such - almost found it in himself to ask whether the Supreme Leader would mind, but the Emperor's gaze was all over, as he knew eventually his hand and his mouth would be, and he understood the Supreme Leader would not mind, and this was why he had been shown the picture... Only then did Cal Kestis flush, and the Emperor angle his youthful, burning face toward him.


End file.
